Well, it’s been a little while since I had anything to say here – not that things haven’t been happening, I’ve just been so busy that I haven’t gotten around to writing about them!
Last Monday was the culmination (or culmination #1) of a project that I have been working on for the Brisbane International Jazz Festival with Leah Cotterell and Gian Ferrett commemorating the Primitif Coffee Lounge, a venue that Gian’s mum Peter Hackworth opened in 1957 in Brisbane city. It was one of the first venues in Brisbane to feature modern jazz and many of the elder statesmen (and women) of the scene today played there in their youth. I rehearsed up a band of appropriately young talented things, namely Melissa Lathouras, Sophie Min, Lachie Mitchell, Matt Hunter, Elliot Parker and Lachie Hawkins, who took on some hitherto unfamiliar repertoire in order to evoke a late-50s-early 60s ambience. Gian cooked up a storm in her evening wear (not for the first time in her career) and Leah marshalled the coming together of the folks that frequented the joint in its heyday. The band was augmented for a few tunes by the percussion of Buzz Ennis and Barry Sutton, and we had the pleasure of a couple of songs from the amazing Wilma Reading, who also led her own band in a set on Saturday evening. I think it is safe to say the afternoon was a great success, and Leah and Gian will be continuing to find and speak to people who remember the Primitif.
Next Sunday evening the 21st, I am going back to my old job of Musical Director for Women in Voice when we do a one-off show at QPAC as part of the Women of the World event. The show features Leah Cotterell, Megan Sarmardin, Alison St Ledger, Carita Farrer and the founder of WIV, Annie Peterson as the singing MC, with Bethan Ellsmore on board as all purpose BV singer and the classic WIV band, me, Jamie Clark, Steve Russell and John Parker.
Things are busy at USQ as we come to the end of semester – lots of things to mark and student assessments to be listened to. My colleagues Melissa Forbes and Bruce Woodward also played at the festival with the Hiroyuki Minowa trio from Japan and encored with a free concert in the Arts Theatre at USQ on Thursday night to an ecstatic audience. The trio also did a workshop with some of the students in the afternoon, which was lots of fun.
If you are a cabaret fan don’t forget that the Brisbane Cabaret Festival is on right now, with events happening all over town – lots of interesting shows happening.
That’s it from me for now, I shan’t leave it so long next time…..